Dental bridge and crown.



F. H. SKINNER.

DENTAL BRIDGE AND CROWN.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 19. 1913.

.1 ,140,537. Patented May 25, 1915.

THE NDRRIS PETERS CO, FHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D C.

' FRANK1H. SKINNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS} DENTAL BRIDGE AND'CROVVIYF;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented-M33125, 12915;;

Application-filed-December 19, 19113... S.er:i a13N o..v807-.,580,

To all whomiit may concern:

Beitlmown that I, FRANK. sKINN-ER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of. Cook and State of 7 Illinois, have invented? certain new. and. useful Improvements in Dental Bridges and Crowns, of-which the following is a specification.

This invention relates-to improvements in dentistry and has reference more particularly to a new and improved device for removably anchoring bridgeand crown plates so as to enable them to be removed for. any

purpose by the wearer.

The present invention possesses the same general character as that disclosed in Letters Patent of the UnitedStates No. 1,022,- 070, granted April 2, 1912 to S. F. Gilmore, but constitutes an improvement upon the device of said patent, more particularly adapted for use in connection with bridge and crown plates of metal, such as gold or platinum.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of an upper aw with all the teeth gone except three roots, and showing an anchor bar secured to said roots and extending along substantially the median line of the sides and front of the jaw. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of a metal bridge plate carrying a set of artificial tooth crowns and adapted to fit the upper jaw shown in Fig. 1; said bridge being equipped with a number of my improved clamps. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail top plan view of a fraction of Fig. 2, more clearly illustrating the clamp and the manner and means of securing it to the metal bridge plate. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing, 5 designates the gum of an upper jaw from which, in the instance shown, all the teeth are gone excepting three roots, to which latter are secured anchor crowns 6, to and between which is soldered an anchor bar 7 that extends substantially coincident with the median line of the sides and front of the jaw.

In Figs. 2, 3 and 4, 8 designates a bridge plate of metal, such as gold or platinum, the upper surface of which is suitably channeled and fitted to the contour of the gum 5 by the usual methods well known in the art of dentistry. In the bottom of the channel of the bridge plate 8 are secured at suitable -in-.

tervalsthe requisitenumber of attaching devices for-engagement, with the. anchor bar 7. Each of. these devices, as best, shown. i115 detail. views-Figs. 3; and 4, comprises aspacing andbaseplate in. the form ofra; short narrow sl ghtly concave strip 9 that is fitted: andv preferably. soldered tothe bottom. of the channel of the bridge plate, and a clip, or clamp member comprising a thin spring metal body member 10 having on either side thereof? integral. upwardly extending. inner and outer clamping arms 11 and 12, respectively. The clamping arms 11 and 12 are of a width considerably less than the length of the integral body member 10; and the body member 10 is strongly secured to the base plate 9 by screws 13 passing into or through the base-plate 9, as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

It will be noted by reference to Fig. 4 that the outer clamp arms 12 are slightly longer than the inner clamp arms 11; but the reason for this is that it is desirable to set the median longitudinal line of the base plate 9 somewhat inwardly of the median longitudinal line of the channel of the bridge plate so as to insure that the attaching screws 13 will be directed inwardly rather than outwardly or directly downwardly, of the bridge plate, thereby being out of the way of the pins or attachments for the porcelain crowns or facings 14 which are carried by the bridge plate. Where the anchor crowns 6 extend appreciably below the plane of the anchor bar 7, the channel of the bridge plate 8 is formed with shallow sockets or depressions, such as those indicated at 15 in Fig. 2 to accommodate the lower ends of .said anchor crowns.

In the use of the device, the roots having been crowned and equipped with a suitable anchoring bar, such as that shown in Fig. l, the bridge, equipped with the described clamps (which, of course, will Vary in number and relative position as the circumstances of each case may require), is applied to the gum by a pressure sufiicient to spring'the arms 11 and 12 of the clamps over the anchoring bar in the manner shown in Fig. 4, whereupon the said clamps hold the bridge firmly in place, considerable pull being required to detach and remove the same, which is, of course, done at suitable intervals for sanitary purposes.

Heretofore, so far as I am aware, the clamp has been made in a single piece which has been applied to the channel of a vulcanite rubberbridge plate by embedding its body member in the latter, My improvement facilitates the use of such clamping devices on metal bridge or crown plates and provides for their independent application and removal when required, without necessitating the discarding of the bridge or crown plate itself or other clamps when one of the clamps becomes broken or otherwise inoperative and requires repair or renewal. My invention can be used in all high class work, such as gold, platinum and porcelain work. Should a clamp break (as they are sure to do from constant use) it can be quickly and accurately replaced, which is impossible when it is embedded in vulcanite rubber.

I claim g 1. The combination with a dental bridge plate, of a clamp having a pair of spring arms adapted to engage an anchor bar secured to one or more natural teeth, said clamp being detachably secured to said bridge-plate.

2. The combination with a dental bridgeplate, of a base-plate soldered to said bridgeplate, a clamp formed with a body member FRANK H. SKINNER.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL N. POND, E. G. INGERSQLL.

Copies of this patent may be'obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

